Eddie Bauer, Express cut jobs

Eddie Bauer and Express have become the latest retailers to announce job cuts in Columbus as apparel sales continue to suffer.

Eddie Bauer and Express have become the latest retailers to announce job cuts in Columbus as apparel sales continue to suffer.

The moves came a week after Abercrombie & Fitch confirmed that it had laid off 50 employees at its New Albany headquarters.

Seattle-based Eddie Bauer said it eliminated 71 jobs this week at its Groveport distribution center as part of a companywide reduction of 193 nonstore employees, or about 15 percent. The local distribution center continues to employ nearly 500.

Express, which was spun off from Limited Brands in 2007 and is still headquartered in Columbus, confirmed this week that it eliminated a "small number" of positions at the headquarters.

Express spokeswoman Amy S. Hughes described the cuts as "proactive cost-savings measures" and said the company remains "committed to the continued growth of the brand."

Hughes did not respond to requests for details on the number of jobs eliminated.

As of May, when the city of Columbus approved tax abatements for Express, the company was said to employ 368 here and planned to add as many as 120 full-time jobs within a few years.

mrose@dispatch.com

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